Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Stock

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) had its target price upped by equities research analysts at Citigroup from $23.00 to $24.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 42.77% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Mizuho set a $20.00 price objective on Jack In The Box in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Jack In The Box from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Northcoast Research raised shares of Jack In The Box from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Jack In The Box from $17.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on Jack In The Box from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $25.37.

Jack In The Box Trading Down 6.7%

Shares of JACK opened at $16.81 on Thursday. Jack In The Box has a 12-month low of $13.99 and a 12-month high of $41.09. The company has a market cap of $320.06 million, a PE ratio of -2.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $20.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.13.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.10). Jack In The Box had a negative net margin of 8.69% and a negative return on equity of 7.12%. The company had revenue of $349.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $355.73 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.86 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Jack In The Box will post 5.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Richard D. Cook sold 1,787 shares of Jack In The Box stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.08, for a total transaction of $34,095.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 27,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $518,842.44. This trade represents a 6.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Steven Piano sold 1,491 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.08, for a total value of $28,448.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 27,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $516,171.24. This represents a 5.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 12,462 shares of company stock valued at $247,352 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Callodine Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Jack In The Box by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Callodine Capital Management LP now owns 1,700,504 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $32,225,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Jack In The Box by 44.3% during the 4th quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 865,990 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $16,411,000 after acquiring an additional 265,990 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 192.9% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 744,141 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $14,712,000 after purchasing an additional 490,071 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 639,060 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,110,000 after purchasing an additional 97,326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Jack In The Box by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 396,673 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $7,517,000 after purchasing an additional 7,346 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Jack In The Box

Here are the key news stories impacting Jack In The Box this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target from $23 to $24, implying upside versus current levels and signaling at least some analyst confidence in recovery potential. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary (MarketBeat) highlights a possible turnaround plan — debt repayment, portfolio rationalization and operational fixes could restore margins and capital returns over time, giving longer‑term upside if execution improves. (MarketBeat coverage)
• Positive Sentiment: Menu/news catalyst: Jack in the Box launched a nationwide matcha beverage lineup, a marketing/traffic initiative that could help drive visits and digital engagement if it resonates with customers. Business Wire
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/metrics reviews: Zacks and other outlets are parsing Q1 beats/misses and key metrics versus estimates — useful for modeling but not a direct new catalyst. Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reporting appears inconsistent in the data releases (entries show a “large increase” but list zero shares/NaN). As reported, coverage ratios look negligible — this seems like a data glitch, so any short‑squeeze thesis is currently unconfirmed.
• Negative Sentiment: Activist pressure: Biglari Capital (largest shareholder, ~9.86%) issued a public statement criticizing Q1 results and urging votes against Chairman David Goebel — this raises governance uncertainty and could weigh on the stock while proxy/board issues unfold. PR Newswire
• Negative Sentiment: Weak quarter: Q1 revenue fell ~5.8%, same-store sales declined materially, and the company swung to a loss and missed EPS estimates — these operational weaknesses are the primary driver of today’s selloff. Yahoo Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and commentary (Restaurant Business / Restaurant Dive) emphasize a “tough quarter” and management moves (store closures, cost/brand challenges), reinforcing near-term revenue and margin headwinds. Restaurant Business Restaurant Dive

Jack In The Box Company Profile

Jack in the Box (NASDAQ: JACK) is a publicly traded quick-service restaurant company best known for its Jack in the Box brand of fast-food restaurants. Founded in 1951 by Robert O. Peterson and headquartered in San Diego, California, the company has operated for decades as a franchisor and operator of drive-thru and dine-in restaurants. Its business model combines company-owned locations with franchise arrangements, and the company focuses on building brand recognition through menu innovation, marketing and service convenience.

The company’s core offerings center on a broad fast-food menu that includes hamburgers (notably the Jumbo Jack), tacos, breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, sides and specialty limited-time items.